Duke: Where are you, PM?

PUBLIC Services Association (PSA) president and minority leader of the Tobago House of Assembly, Watson Duke, is asking the prime minister to do like leaders around the world and communicate with his people about covid19 in this country.

Duke spoke in an address live on social media on Sunday in response to a press conference earlier, in which several government ministers, the chief personnel officer and health officials spoke a range of issues facing the country, with the arrival of the pandemic.

On Friday, a day following the announcement of the first confirmed covid19 case, Duke held a closed-door media conference, announcing the closure of all PSA offices, at least until March 31, as well as for all public servants to take “a day off” on Monday and for the prime minister to shut down the country, inclusive of schools and university.

Within hours, the prime minister announced in Parliament the closure of all learning institutions for a week, “in the first instance.” Apart from this, Duke said, the prime minister’s input has been wanting.

“Where is the prime minister in all of this?” he asked, saying that leaders across the globe, including that of the United States, France, UK, and other countries affected by the pandemic, have routinely updated their citizens on their country’s status.

“The statements that are made by different groups within the government, are those statements well-thought-out statements, or are they ad hoc, knee-jerk reactions to what we fear?

He took issue with the manner in which one or more of the ministers and health representatives present at the press conference addressed the public.

“We have people to coming to us and speaking to us like we are unintelligent, as if we were dunce, as if we were dumdums, as if this thing called corona was a special science and that they had a special handle on it.

“Let me tell you now, that there is no place in the world where they have rid themselves of the corona. Once corona moves into enemy territory, it remains there.

Duke said the message transmitted from the media conference was disrespectful to senior people, who are most vulnerable to severe symptoms of the virus.

“What we’ve been battling with is this knee-jerk reaction by the minister of health, who is looking more and more unintelligent on the subject… All around people are taking serious precautions, banning flights left, right and centre.

He also addressed Labour Minister Jennifer Baptiste-Primus’s advice not to carry children to work. “She is correct about that.”

But, Duke said, with regard to her advice for parents to use “support systems,” while they work, he said, “I want to reject that as poison and say that unless this government is giving you money to pay a babysitter...or whoever to babysit your child, you cannot say that you are going to expense yourself. They have given us no salary increase in seven years.”